Gone
by Always A Dragon
Summary: Three-year-old Rhydian is lost and it's up to Ceri to find him. Based on what happened all those years ago. It is angst for a reason.


The sun was beginning to set, dipping its golden head below the horizon. The shadows were long and thin, the woods quiet and still. _Almost_ quiet and still, anyway. Mice and small animals rustled in the undergrowth and a few birds still chirped in the trees. It had been raining recently, and Ceri wiped away a droplet that landed on her hair. A blonde-haired boy of about three years trailed behind her, sniffing at the damp air and the rotting leaves on the ground. Ceri looked around, observing her surroundings. She didn't often go hunting, as her knowledge as a healer was too useful to be at constant risk. However, the Great Cold was coming, and more meat was a necessity. Ceri had brought Rhydian with her. Silly pup, she thought, as he stooped to pick up a worm. Ceri knew she would be a while, since there were few good prey in the immediate area. A shaft of sunlight fell on Rhydian's already golden head and he squinted up at her. She couldn't take Rhydian hunting, she realised, since he wasn't old enough. It was good that he knew how to follow instructions. She dragged him over to the trunk of a tree and sat him down. Ceri stared at him, widening her eyes so she wouldn't be misunderstood.

"Stay." She told him clearly. "You will stay here."

Slowly, Rhydian nodded. Good. Even if he did wander a bit, he wouldn't go running off. Rhydian was well-behaved, thankfully, unlike Alric's daughter, who had inherited the traits of her father.

Ceri once again scanned the woods. She knew she wouldn't forget this place; it was directly north of where the Pack was camped now. "Stay." She told Rhydian again, who was now studying the rotting leaves. Ceri transformed into her wolf shape and felt her already heightened senses triple. She lifted her nose, sniffing, a hint of -was it deer?- floating on the wind. Ceri ducked her head and padded over the leaves, leaving Rhydian behind her. She disappeared into the trees, the first bits of adrenaline starting to pulse through her veins.

* * *

Rhydian was usually an obedient, well-behaved cub, but as an hour passed with no sign of his mother, he became bored with poking at leaves and catching mice. He wanted to _explore_. The sun had disappeared and it had started raining again. Rhydian looked upwards, wondering where it all came from. The wind was beginning to pick up and the rain was slightly tilted. Perhaps if he followed it… Rhydian stood up, brushing the rain from his hair. Rain came from the sky, he knew, but no-one had told him _how _it got into the sky in the first place. Rhydian forgot about his promise to his mother, and tottered in the direction the rain came from. An hour passed, then another. The stars began to appear in the sky and the rain stopped, much to Rhydian's displeasure. He liked the way it came down in grey droplets. He like grey, too. It was his favourite colour, even though it didn't appear in rainbows. When Rhydian stopped thinking about all this, he realised he was lost. It took a few moments for it to sink in. _He was lost. _Oh no. Oh no. No. No, no, no! He couldn't be- it wasn't possible- but he was. Rhydian couldn't even remember which direction he came from. He was lost. Utterly, hopelessly lost. All the worst scenarios flashed through his mind. Not seeing his mum again. Not seeing his pack again. Starving. Freezing to death. Rhydian stumbled through the trees blindly, sobbing, calling out for his mother. She did not come. After a while, he stopped, trying to calm himself and wiping his nose miserably on the back of his hand. The trees were thinning, and a brief flicker of hope lit inside his chest. His mother always told him that the pack stayed in clearings, he remembered. Maybe he had wandered back to the pack by mistake. He ran through the trees, and his hope died. He was in a clearing, but there was no pack. Rhydian started to cry again, before remembering that Wolfblood's were strong. The clearing was weird, he thought, looking at it. It went on far into the distance to his right and left but was only a short walk to the other side. He wrinkled his nose and sat down. Maybe his mum knew of this clearing and would find him. Rhydian decided to wait. After an hour, his eyelids grew heavy and he started to drift off to sleep. It was a _very_ strange clearing, he decided tiredly. _Very_ strange.

* * *

The road was hardly used, and was little more than dirt. It was practically useless, but by chance -or fate- a car was driving down it on the same evening Ceri decided to leave Rhydian on his own. The owners of the car, a couple in their late forties, had decided to take the scenic route, not knowing the length of the road. Both of them had grown tired and since night had fallen and deer had often been sighted in the area, they were driving a lot slower than usual. If they hadn't, or had blinked at the wrong moment, they would have missed the little boy sleeping by the road-side. The car braked sharply and the two humans got out, hurrying over to the boy. The man checked to make sure he was breathing and then realised the boy was merely asleep.

"There's no houses for kilometres." The woman whispered. "Look at him -his clothes are dirty and ripped. He has no shoes." The exchanged worried looks.

"We should take him to the police. Foster care. We can't leave him here." The man screwed his eyes shut, thinking. Finally, making up his mind and picked the boy up, who woke. He started crying but the humans put him in the back seat of the car, putting on his seatbelt so he couldn't get out.

"It's all right." The woman said soothingly, and started the car. Only it wasn't. It wasn't all right.

* * *

Ceri ran through the woods, dodging the trees and leaping over fallen branches. She could smell him, even though her cub's scent was growing fainter by the second. She couldn't lose him, she thought desperately, as the wind rushed through her fur. Her cub! She had to find Rhydian, and quickly. Ceri had been running for half an hour already, but she ignored the pain and increased her speed.

"Rhydian!" she howled. "Rhydian!" Ceri became oblivious to everything except the ground under her and her constant fear. She didn't notice the trees start to thin and it was a shock when she found herself in a clearing, staring at a bright, white, light. Two, actually. Ceri stopped, and sat down. What was this? She wondered anxiously. Then a memory came to her, when her mother had visited a human town once. A _car. _A human thing. Ceri looked at it, keeping herself hidden in the trees. She jolted, her heart beating furiously. A blonde haired boy was in the car, staring out through a piece of clear metal. _Rhydian. _Her cub was being taken away by humans. Ceri bounded up to the car, which was beginning to rumble ominously. Rhydian banged on the metal and Ceri jumped up, trying to reach him. The rumbling grew louder and then the car started to move. No! Ceri jumped up again, desperately hoping the car would stop so she could get to her cub. But it kept moving, driving faster and faster down the road. The clear metal didn't give way, Rhydian didn't jump out. Ceri couldn't keep up with the car any more. She watched her cub's face getting smaller and smaller. Then he was gone.

Just... gone.

Taken by humans. Gone, disappeared. Rhydian had been abducted.

And Ceri had no idea where he might be.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you thought of this! It's a bit short, but I thought of this plot a few days ago and _really _needed to write it down. If you have any ideas how I might be able to improve this story, or if there are any errors, please let me know in the reviews! Check out my other Wolfblood stories too!**

**Thankee,**

**-Always A Dragon!**


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